CITY LIGHTS

Ground broken for new senior development in O4W

Atlanta City Councilmember Kwanza Hall, Invest Atlanta’s Craig J. Richard, other officials, community leaders, and executives from Wingate Companies and Columbia Residential broke ground Jan. 22 on City Lights, an affordable senior housing development on Boulevard in the Old Fourth Ward.

“This new development embodies the kinds of improvements that we have encouraged since our master planning process for the Old Fourth Ward in 2008 and, more recently, as part of our Year of Boulevard initiative, which we began in 2012,” Hall said. “We hope other developers see City Lights as a catalyst for their investment in new affordable housing, mixed income and market rate housing along Boulevard.”

The new senior community is the first step of a multiphase redevelopment of the Village of Bedford Pine. Wingate and Columbia are developing 80, one- bedroom apartment homes available to qualifying seniors, aged 62 or older, at 430 Boulevard. Financial partners include Community Affordable Housing Equity Corp. and Sugar Creek Capital as well as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Georgia Department of Community Affairs, and Atlanta’s Office of Housing. Construction financing is from Prudential Huntoon Paige.

“We’re grateful for the support of so many who paved the way for this groundbreaking today,” said Mark Schuster, principal of Wingate Companies. “It would not have been possible to create this new senior housing community in the heart of the Old Fourth Ward without the hard work and creativity of our partners. We especially thank Neighborhood Planning Unit M and the Fourth Ward West Neighborhood Association for working with us to achieve this vision.”

Seniors who move into City Lights will find a state-of-the-art fitness center, a TV and movie room, a community kitchen, a sun deck, a covered garage, WiFi access and a business center. The project is expected to be completed in the summer of 2016. For more information on City Lights, visit CityLightsApartmentHomes.com. at the Ladyfest fundraiser held at Big House on Ponce. Ladyfest is a newer festival in Atlanta focused on the local needs of women, trans and gender nonconforming people. The event will take place March 20-22, for more information go to ladyfestatlanta.wordpress.com.

The annual Art Papers Auction will be held Feb. 20-21 at BoBo Intriguing Object, 1235 Chattahoochee Ave., in West Midtown. There will be more than 200 pieces of art from established and emerging artists. Tickets and info are available at artpapers.org.